Kirkus Reviews QR Code
THE CUBAN STORY by Herbert L. Matthews

THE CUBAN STORY

By

Pub Date: Sept. 28th, 1961
Publisher: George Braziller

In this book a veteran interpreter of Latin American affairs summarizes the story of the Cuban revolution from its early origins in 1952 to the present. The author, who knows Castro's Cuba and knows it well, vividly describes the man and his brave compatriots. He explains why Cubans were so anti-American when the Revolution started and bitterly condemns the state department's policy toward this Latin American neighbor. The author examines the causes of Revolution in Cuba, the form the Revolution has taken, its accomplishments and failures, and the appeal Fidelismo has for the hemisphere. Although Mr. Matthews regrets the establishment of a totalitarian regime, he stresses his opinion that Castro never was and is not now a Communist and emphasizes the factors and pressures that drove the Castro regime into the Communist camp. He strongly condemns the failure of the American press to report the accomplishments made by the new government. Mr. Matthews' account throws some enlightening sidelights on the Castro regime. The author has given us a controversial and provocative book which should be studied carefully by all those who are interested in the future events of the world. It is to be most regretted that the knowledgeable Mr. Matthews should devote so much of his book to publicity for the New York Times and to self-congratulation.